


If You Can Catch Me

by SouvenirsFamiliers (unnecessary)



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-14
Updated: 2013-02-08
Packaged: 2018-01-04 00:56:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1075176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unnecessary/pseuds/SouvenirsFamiliers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thor is the coach for a swim team. Loki is a lifeguard at the pool. Commence awkward encounters – and maybe a little romance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally posted on my fanfiction.net account [here](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8703488/1/If-You-Can-Catch-Me).

Thor had spent his past three summers coaching the local swim team at an outdoor pool. The swimmers were mostly in middle school, but some were much younger and some older. None of them were thrilled that this was the way they were spending their summer afternoons.

Thor had only just finished getting them to go through the warmup drill on their first lesson when one of the kids splashed him viciously. Thor, who was standing at the edge of the pool in swim trunks, a t-shirt, and sandals, looked at the boy amiably for a moment. He smiled. "One-hundred fly."

Everyone groaned and gave the poor kid pointed glares. "Go!" Thor said encouragingly, and the first person in each lane shot off the wall and into the water.

Thor sat down in his chair and leaned back; any amount of butterfly stroke would take them a while. He whistled tunelessly, content in the sunshine. He heard a noise of derision from somewhere above him. Thor stopped whistling and looked up.

His team was apparently placed right next to one of the lifeguards. A man was looking down at Thor from his red lifeguard seat several meters above him. Thor grinned. "Hello!" he called.

The man clearly decided that he was not going to dignify that with an answer. He adjusted his fashionable sunglasses and looked back out at the water. He was pale, shockingly so, and Thor supposed it was a good thing that the lifeguard chair had an overhang, or else he would have been burnt to a crisp a long time ago. He had jet black hair that was slicked back to where it curled slightly just below his ears.

"Is it boring, sitting up there?" Thor called.

The man clearly glared at him, even though Thor couldn't see his eyes. "You don't need to yell."

"I wasn't," Thor said, though he kept his voice a little closer to his normal speaking voice. "Is it?"

"You shouldn't distract a lifeguard," the man said, his voice floating down to Thor.

Thor supposed he couldn't really argue with that. He shrugged and looked back at his swimmers. They weren't even halfway done yet. He resumed whistling and heard the lifeguard make another noise of irritation.

Thor smiled and didn't stop.

* * *

The next time Thor noticed the lifeguard, it was because his swimmers pointed him out to him. They were at their fourth practice, and Thor was trying to explain the next set to them when some of the kids started giggling. Thor finally gave up. "What is it?" he asked, and one of the children pointed behind him.

"That guy thought the lifeguard was a girl!" one of the girls shrieked, and Thor turned around to see the same lifeguard from earlier looking absolutely livid. He was yelling at a man in board shorts who looked very apologetic and was clearly trying to escape. The lifeguard looked as though he had just arrived at his shift. He was wearing shorts and a t-shirt that clung to his thin frame, and he had a coffee in one hand. Thor wasn't sure he agreed with the children; he would have made excuses too if someone he had hit on had reacted in that way. Thor watched with amusement as the lifeguard finally finished berating the man and, with a huff, turned around and resumed walking towards his station.

Thor turned back to the children and looked at them expectantly. "Are you all ready to start?"

The children hastily got ready. When they had all started swimming, Thor looked up at the lifeguard. He was drinking his coffee and staring out at the water with his sunglasses firmly in place on his nose. Though it had seemed funny a few minutes ago, Thor felt kind of bad for him. He must be having a really bad day to get that upset.

After practice ended, Thor walked past the trashcan by the lifeguard's chair and noticed a coffee cup perched on top. He picked it up curiously. Scrawled in the barista's handwriting, in block letters, was the name  _Loki._

* * *

"I'm Thor," Thor called up to the lifeguard at one point.

The lifeguard looked at him for a moment, his expression unreadable behind his sunglasses. "Loki," he said finally, and then looked back out at the water. Thor grinned.

* * *

One day, Thor was watching Loki subtly out of the corner of his eye while the team swam an eight-lap set. Loki was sitting as he usually did, staring straight ahead with one leg crossed over the other, as though he couldn't care less about anyone on the ground below him. There was suddenly a shift in his demeanor, though, and he leaned forward. Thor's full attention swung onto Loki, and he didn't bother to hide that he was looking straight at him. Loki clearly wasn't about to notice. Suddenly, Loki stood up, pulled his whistle to his mouth, and blew it three times. He went down the ladder so fast Thor wasn't sure what he watching. Loki yelled, "Lifeguard going in!", toed off his sandals, and dove into the pool.

Everyone had stopped swimming. Many were gawking at Loki, but after some yelling from the other lifeguards they all quickly got out of the way. Thor stared open-mouthed as he tracked what was only a blur through the water. His eyes snapped up to the area of the pool that Loki was headed towards. It was part of the recreational section, an area that was not separated into lane lines, and Loki seemed to be swimming towards three kids who were playing near the center of the pool.

Wait. Hadn't there been four kids there before?

"What's so interesting?" asked one of the kids in Thor's team. Thor didn't even look at him.

Loki was racing across the width of the pool at a steady crawl. When he reached the children, he wasted no time in diving under the water. When he came up, he had a child in his arms. Luckily, the child came up spluttering, and Loki held it in his arms while it coughed up the water it had inhaled. Thor couldn't hear from that distance, but it was clear that Loki was talking angrily to the three other children.

Well. Talking was a gentle term.

The child in his arms started crying, and a small herd of concerned parents came over to the group. One of them took the child from Loki's arms. With what could have been only the briefest exchange of words, Loki turned and began to swim steadily back to his post. His strokes were much slower than they had been, but Loki clearly wasn't swimming for the joy of it. When he got to the side of the pool, he pushed his hair out of his face and pulled himself out of the water. He didn't so much as glance at Thor, but Thor got a good look at his face; it was stony and expressionless, except for a slight downward slant of his dark eyebrows. He went directly to the base of his lifeguard chair and picked up a towel he had left there. No one said a single to word to him, not while he dried himself off, and not before he disappeared into the showers. Thor looked over at where the children had been. Their parents had taken them all out of the pool and were nowhere to be seen.

"Coach Thor?" one of the children asked.

Thor looked down and realized that the team had finished the set and were patiently waiting for him. "Two-hundred backstroke," he said, and watched carefully as they each launched themselves into the water in turn.

Still, Thor noticed when Loki came back to his post. His shift was nearly over anyway, so he took his things down from the chair and began to pack them into a bag. Thor went over to him. "That was a good thing you did," he told him.

Loki looked up at him. His sunglasses were pushed up on his hair, so Thor could see that he had pale green eyes. He straightened and looked at Thor warily. "Thanks," he said, though he said it as though he wasn't sure that Thor was being sincere.

"I'm sure that kid's parents are very grateful."

Loki's mouth quirked slightly. "I take it you've been watching your team closely."

Thor snorted. "They already know what they're doing. They can fend for themselves for a few minutes." There was a moment of silence as Loki seemed to be waiting for Thor to say something. "See you later?" Thor said finally.

Loki met his eyes and smiled slightly. He dropped his sunglasses down onto his nose and gave Thor a mock salute. "Until then."

Thor walked him walk away. If there was one thing to say about Loki, it was that he knew how to make an exit. His hips certainly did not lie.

* * *

The next day, Thor brought two coffees to practice. He walked to the base of Loki's chair and looked up at him. Loki pushed up his sunglasses and leaned over curiously. "I have coffee," Thor called up to him, and held up the extra cup as proof.

"What kind?" Loki asked.

Thor glanced at the cup. "Uh, a mocha."

Loki sat back. "I don't like mochas."

"Oh." Thor shrugged and put it down on the ground. Loki could still have it if he changed his mind.

Once most of his team had arrived, he glanced over at where he had left the coffee. It was definitely not there, and Loki seemed to be sipping something that looked suspiciously familiar.

Thor grinned and turned back to his team.

* * *

As they got closer to their first meet, Thor asked the team to stay for a particularly long practice. When Loki got off of his shift, he leaned against the base of his chair, his attention seemingly entirely occupied by his cellphone. He kept an eye on Thor, though, and he noticed when Thor's cellphone stared ringing.

Thor paused in giving out the next set and pulled out his phone. He frowned at the screen and the kids began talking amongst themselves. Thor glanced at Loki. "Hey, Loki, would you mind watching them for a sec? I need to take this." Loki blinked at him, but Thor didn't give him time to reply before he answered his phone and said, "Hello? Mom?" He turned away from Loki and began to wander away from the pool.

The kids looked at Loki. Loki looked at the kids. He slipped his phone in his pocket and stood in front of them. "Well?" he asked them.

The kids looked at him with trepidation on their faces. "Two-hundred free?" one of them squeaked.

Loki considered this. "Go." With relieved looks, the kids shot out into the water. Loki perched himself on one of the diving blocks and opened his phone back up. If one of them started to drown, one of the lifeguards on duty would notice.

By the time the last of the kids had drifted back into the wall, Thor still wasn't back yet. Loki glanced over his shoulder and saw him talking on the phone some distance away. He looked worried and tense. Loki closed his phone and looked back at the kids. "Two-hundred breaststroke," he told them. That should keep them occupied for a while. All the kids perked up. At this rate, practice would over over in no time.

Loki watched them swim. If Thor was going to be gone, he supposed he might as well keep track of the things they needed to improve.

Thor was still on the phone when they finished that set, too. Loki frowned. The kids were completely relaxed now, laughing amongst themselves. What should they do now? What was Thor's favorite stroke, again? Oh, yes . . . Loki smiled viciously. "Two-hundred butterfly."

The kids abruptly stopped smiling. One of the smaller girls in the corner looked like she was going to cry.

"But it's almost the end of practice," one of the children piped up. "We have, like, five minutes."

"Then you'd better make it fast," said Loki. He smiled. No more easy substitute coach. That would correct any ideas they had about being able to take advantage of the situation.

They had barely started the set when Loki heard approaching footsteps. Thor stopped next to him and looked at the swimmers, who were frantically swimming laps of butterfly. "Yes, they need to practice that one," he said, and smiled at Loki, clearly oblivious to how much his swimmers probably hated them both at that moment. "Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it." He clapped Loki on the shoulder, nearly knocking him into the water.

Loki nodded briefly and stood up. "Something important?"

Thor hesitated. "Yeah. My dad had a stroke." He glanced down at the ground. "He's in the hospital."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Loki said, and was surprised to find that he was completely sincere.

Thor shrugged. "Thanks." He ran his fingers through his hair and looked into the distance. He sighed. "It's not the first time. He's okay for right now, at least." He smiled at Loki, though it wasn't quite his usual, happy grin. "Anything I can get you to thank you? Maybe a coffee . . . ?"

Loki shook his head and turned away before Thor could see his expression. He shoved his phone in his pocket and began to walk away. "You already got me a coffee, remember?" he called over his shoulder.

"That doesn't count!" Thor shouted after him.

Loki laughed and didn't look back.

* * *

The next time Thor kept his swimmers late, Loki didn't bother to wait around. As soon as his shift was over, he stripped off his shirt and sunglasses and dropped them by his towel. Thor was in the middle of correcting his swimmers' backstroke technique when he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. He did a double-take and gaped at Loki as he dove smoothly into the water. He resurfaced almost halfway down the lane and began doing an even crawl toward the other end.

"Coach Thor?" asked one of his swimmers.

"Right," said Thor, and tried very, very hard to ignore the person swimming laps exactly one lane away.

When practice ended, Loki was still swimming lazily in the pool. Thor said goodbye to all his swimmers, and then he walked over to Loki and looked down at him. Loki stopped swimming a few feet out from the wall and treaded water. He pushed some wet, jet-black hair out of his face. "I'll race you," Loki said.

Thor laughed. "Really?" Loki just looked at him expectantly. Thor always wore his swim trunks to practice, so he stripped off his shirt and dropped it on the ground. He jumped in feet-first and came up grinning. He hadn't been in the water in a long time. Loki gave him a displeased look; Thor's jump had splashed him. Thor ignored his expression and tied his hair back into a quick ponytail. "Freestyle, there and back?"

"Sounds fair."

"You ready?"

Loki braced himself with his feet and one hand on the wall on one side of the lane, and Thor took the other.

"Go," said Loki, and they both dove forward.

They were neck and neck for the first length of the pool. It was on the flip-turn that Loki took a slight advantage. Thor put on an extra burst of speed, and was sure that he had Loki regardless. There was no way someone that slight of frame could be that fast, Thor thought. The wall was right in front of them, and Thor reached out to touch it. Loki's hand slapped the wall a split-second before Thor's did.

Thor came out of the water with a deep breath of air. Loki smirked. Thor frowned in frustration, but Loki looked so thrilled and so beautiful, Thor couldn't help smiling. "Well won," he told Loki. "You were a worthy opponent, but if you aren't careful, I will beat next you time."

A smile teased at the corner of Loki's mouth, and Thor suddenly realized how close they were. Loki's lips were slightly blue from the chill of the water, but as they parted to take a breath, Thor saw the slight flicker of tongue on white teeth. Loki's eyes were like pieces of clear green glass with shards of emerald in their depths, and when Thor met his gaze, Loki didn't even blink. On impulse, Thor leaned forward.

Loki laughed and turned away, sliding just out of Thor's reach before he could kiss him. "I am very careful." He caught the edge of the wall and pulled himself out of the pool, water dripping off his hair and sliding down his skin. He had a tattoo between his shoulder blades of a fish – a salmon, twisting in midair as it leapt to some unseen destination. As his skin slid along his spine, the fish seemed to move across his back. Underneath the tattoo were written the words:

_If you can catch me, you can have me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Norse mythology, Loki escapes captivity at one point by turning in a salmon. However, the other gods (including Thor) manage to catch him in a net and imprison him again.
> 
> Special thanks to bridgekeeper on Tumblr for helping me out with Loki's procedure as a lifeguard!


	2. Chapter 2

The first meet was a disaster.

"Keep swimming!" Thor bellowed. The kid clinging to the wall for dear life shook his head. Ignoring the angry glares of parents and coaches, Thor jogged over to the other side of the pool and crouched down to talk to the boy. The boy looked up at him. He wasn't one of Thor's; he was from a younger age group. His eyes were bright with tears, and Thor mentally sighed. "This is the last lap," Thor said kindly. "Just swim it and you can get out." The kid shook his head mutely. "Why not?"

The boy bit his lip. "I'm already two laps behind everyone," he whispered. "They all lapped me."

Thor looked up in time to see the first swimmer touch the wall. There was a cheer from an excited family member. "Tell you what," Thor told him quietly, "Swim this last lap and we just won't count your time."

"No."

"No?"

There was a loud sniffle. "I want to get out  _now_. I don't care if I'm disqualified."

The other coaches were going to kill him for this. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Thor held out his hands, the kid grabbed onto them, and Thor pulled him effortlessly out of the pool. He immediately disappeared to find a towel.

_"Thor!"_

Thor sighed and prepared himself for the anger of the head coach. "Yes, Sif?"

She strode up to him and glared. "If I didn't know you better, I'd be yelling at you right now."

He grinned. "But you do know me better, so . . . ?"

She slapped a stopwatch into his hand. "Go be useful." She turned and walked away. Thor went over to the other end of the pool and picked a lane. The next set of swimmers was already in the water.

"Ready . . .  _Go!"_

One swimmer dropping out of a race was the least of their problems. Three stopwatches had already broken, and each one had meant a swimmer that had to be retimed. The day had started out cold, a wind hand picked up, the day had gone from cloudy to overcast, and parents were getting worried that their children were going to freeze. And all that was before someone found out there was a storm warning.

"Everyone out of the pool!" Sif called tiredly when the last swimmer had finished the most recent set. "There might be lightening. We're going to wait half an hour and see what happens, but everyone should dry off and get away from the water."

Loki found Thor while parents were frantically trying to dry off their children and get them in a warm, dry car. Some of the other coaches were futilely trying to convince everyone to stay, because the warning would likely pass. The parents eyed the gathering clouds and ignored them. For his part, Thor sided with the parents.

"What an exciting meet," said Loki.

"What are you doing here?" Thor asked.

Loki arched an eyebrow. It took Thor a moment to notice that Loki was wearing a uniform that had the word "Lifeguard" written prominently across it in several places. "Ah," said Thor.

"No one leaves until we have this cleaned up!" someone bellowed. Loki looked back out at the quickly emptying pool. Thor sighed and trudged off to help out. Loki settled against a building and watched.

* * *

Predictably, the storm warning disappeared after twenty uneventful minutes, but by that time, everyone was already gone. Even the most persistent of the coaches gave up and went home. A couple local swimmers filtered in and started swimming laps. Thor stayed, though, because Loki didn't seem like he was going anywhere.

Thor put his hands in his pockets and nodded towards the pool casually. "You want to race again?"

Loki eyed him sidelong. "Why?"

Thor grinned. "I want to win."

Loki gave him a pitying look. "You do realize that it's my turn to choose the stroke. You'll just lose horrendously again."

"Hey! I was pretty close," Thor protested. "And then I'll be able to choose the stroke next time, right?"

Loki narrowed his eyes at him. "What makes you think there will be a next time?" Thor shrugged, but he kept smiling. Loki sighed and looked back out at the nearly empty pool. "We might as well get it over with. What stroke?"

Thor stroked his chin while he pretended to think. "Fifty freestyle, again?"

Loki looked at Thor as though he were the biggest idiot on the planet. "Very well," he said, and began to toe off his sandals.

"Hmm," said Thor. Loki froze. "That seems too boring," said Thor, and Loki's expression changed from resigned to suspicious in an instant. "Let's stick with freestyle, but how about forward crawl isn't allowed?"

Loki stared at him. "Excuse me?"

Thor cleared his throat. "I said–"

"I heard what you said," Loki said in a voice like ice. " _Why?"_

Thor smiled genially. "Well, freestyle is defined as any stroke that isn't backstroke, breaststroke, or butterfly–"

_"I know that._ What are we supposed to  _use?"_

"You're right," Thor admitted. "There aren't a whole lot of options. How about butterfly is allowed instead?"

Loki glared at him with murder in his eyes. "You're joking."

"If you want to back down, you can just say so," Thor pointed out.

"No," spat Loki, and he stripped off his shirt. Thor did the same, and when he reappeared from the folds of the fabric, Loki was already walking towards the edge of the pool with his Speedo sitting low on his hips. Thor swallowed and stripped off his board shorts; he was likewise wearing a Speedo, because he had been hoping he'd be able to catch Loki at the end of the meet, and he would be damned if he let something silly like his shorts falling off make him lose.

Thor walked over to the edge of the pool and looked down at Loki, who had already resurfaced from his dive. He slicked his hair back from his face and look up at Thor. "I get my own lane this time."

Thor shrugged. "Suits me." He slid into the lane next to Loki's and stayed under the water for a moment, letting the cool comfort of it surround him. When he resurfaced, Loki was watching him grimly. Thor braced himself on the wall and Loki did the same. "Ready?"

"Go," said Loki, and they pushed themselves forward.

Loki chose sidestroke, which was fundamentally a combination of breaststroke and freestyle, but Loki had some difficulty doing it quickly. Thor, of course, chose butterfly. He won.

Thor came up grinning. "Impressive!" he called when Loki came into the wall a good arm's length behind him.

Loki glared at him across the lane line. He looked exhausted and frustrated. Thor felt a little bad; it had been a cheap way to win, Thor knew, but Loki could have technically chosen butterfly if he had wanted to. It wouldn't have given Loki much more of a chance, in all likelihood, but it would at least have meant that they were using the same stroke. "Yes, you won," Loki snarled. "This means we're  _tied,_ and I get to choose the stroke next time."

Thor laughed. "When did we agree that it was the best two out of three?"

Without another word, Loki pulled himself out of the water. He began to walk immediately away from the pool. "Loki?" called Thor, troubled. Loki picked up his towel, glared at Thor, and stalked towards the showers.

Thor treaded water for a moment. He had been expecting some irritation on Loki's part, or maybe some mock insults, but not this. Had he hurt Loki's feelings? He pulled himself out of the water and hesitantly went to his own towel. The best thing, of course, would be an apology, but he didn't know what he was apologizing for. Still, he had to do something, so he confidently picked up his stuff and walked to the showers. When he opened the door, Loki was standing there, already dressed. He slipped past Thor before either of them could say anything. Thor watched him go, and then resignedly went inside to shower and get dressed himself. When he came out again, Loki was long gone.

* * *

Thor had his faults. He knew he wasn't the most thoughtful person, and his attempts at being romantic didn't always go as planned, but he was nothing if not persistent.

So at the next practice, Thor brought Loki flowers.

Loki looked down at him. "What am I supposed to do with  _those?"_

Thor smiled and waved the two flowers at Loki. "Take them!"

Loki frowned at him, but he leaned over, and Thor was just tall enough to hand them up to him. Loki sat up and peered at the flowers over his sunglasses. "Ah," he said, holding up the first. "A daffodil. Selfishness and . . . unrequited love." Thor deflated slightly. Loki picked up the second flower. This one was a group of pretty little white flowers. "Nasturtium." Loki looked at Thor over his sunglasses. "Patriotism."

Thor's heart sank. He smiled hopefully. "I picked them up off the side of the road."

"Very romantic," Loki said dryly. He sat back in his chair. "I think your team is missing you."

Thor reluctantly went back to his team, which had now fully arrived. Loki didn't get rid of the flowers, though. At the end of they day, Thor saw him tucking the wilting stems into his bag.

* * *

Loki got Thor's number very sneakily. Thor wasn't really sure how it happened. One minute he was telling Loki a story about how he had once burned an entire serving of macaroni and cheese, and the next he was telling Loki his number in case he ever needed someone with basic medical training. To resuscitate him. Or to put out a fire. Or something.

Loki called him four days later to ask him if he knew a good recipe for guacamole. Thor only realized that Loki had been subtly asking him over for chips and salsa after he had already hung up.

* * *

"I'm surprised you don't have any tattoos," Loki said one day when they were sitting by the pool watching people swim after practice, because apparently that was a thing now. Thor looked at Loki. Loki smirked. "Unless they're just where I can't see them."

"Uh. I mean, no," said Thor. "I don't have tattoos there. Or anywhere." He paused. "I've never really thought about it."

"One would suit you." Loki yawned. "As long as you didn't get one out of those stupid design books."

"I know  _that,_ " said Thor, though he wasn't really offended. "What do you think I should get? If I were to get one?" He grinned. "A shark, terror of the seas?"

Loki looked at him. He was clearly trying to keep from laughing. "A turtle, maybe."

"A sea turtle?" Thor pressed. "Graceful and powerful?"

Loki couldn't help it. He laughed. Thor liked the sound. "More like a tortoise."

"Why?" exclaimed Thor, and Loki just shook his head and smiled.

* * *

After another practice, Thor sat by the edge of the pool as he usually did. Loki had disappeared right after his shift ended, but he came back in a few minutes. He stood in front of Thor with his bag slung over one shoulder and looked down at him. Thor shaded his eyes and looked up at Loki. Loki kicked Thor's foot. "Ow," said Thor, even though Loki had only really nudged it. Thor hastily stood up. Loki was clearly done for the day, but there was a soft little smile on his lips that Thor didn't see very often. Loki took a step forward so they were almost touching. Thor thought Loki was going to kiss him.

"Take me out to lunch."

Thor blinked. "What?"

Loki rolled his eyes. "I know you don't have to be intelligent to be a coach, but really, this is a little difficult to believe."

"Wait, hold on–"

Loki arched an eyebrow. "If you want to back down, you can just say so."

Thor stared at him open-mouthed. Now Loki was using his own words against him? He smiled. "Nah, I'll take you out."

"Wednesday," Loki said, and he turned and began to walk away. "I'll see you then," he called over his shoulder with a smile, and then he was gone.

When Thor finally got his stuff together and headed towards the parking lot, he was still grinning.


	3. Chapter 3

Loki was already sitting in his car at the restaurant that he and Thor had agreed on for lunch when his phone rang.

"I'm sorry," Thor said in a dull voice when he picked up. "I can't make it."

Loki was quiet for a moment. "That's fine," he said finally around the lump in his throat. "Did something come up?"

There was a long silence. "My dad's in a coma."

"What do you need?" Loki said immediately.

"I don't know." Thor sounded lost. "My mom's been with him for the last six hours, so I'm giving her a break. There's practice tonight, but . . ."

"Find a sub."

"I tried. It's too short notice." Thor sighed heavily, momentarily filling the line with static. "It's not as though I can do much here, anyway. He'll come out of it or he won't."

Loki's fingers tightened around the phone. "I'll find you a substitute. I promise."

There was a smile in Thor's voice when he spoke next. "That's very nice of you, but–"

_"Trust me."_

There was a pause. "Okay," said Thor. "Okay."

"I'll see you next practice," Loki told him.

"Yeah," said Thor. "Call me if you can't find anyone."

"Bye," said Loki, and he hung up.

* * *

Two days later, Thor was back at the pool for Friday's practice. He clapped his hands together and smiled. He hadn't got a lot of sleep the past few nights, but he was in the sunshine with his team, and that was what mattered right now. "Normal warmup, and then give me a fifty free. Ready–"

"Do you want us to do the flip-turn thing?" one of the kids asked.

Thor paused. "The what?'

"The flip-turn thing," another one of the kids said loudly, as though that would help.

"Loki said to count our strokes before a flip-turn because it would make us faster."

Thor felt his world tilt slightly to the left. "Loki?"

Now the entire team was staring at him. "Duh," said someone else. "The guy who subbed for you last time?"

Thor laughed nervously. "Was he helpful?"

"Yup. He's not too scary once you get used to him." Everyone nodded.

"Did you know he almost made it to the Olympics?" asked another kid.

"He did?" said Thor.

"Yeah! He said we could make it to tryouts too, but first we had to be quiet and stop asking him how long until practice was over."

"Good advice," Thor pointed out.

"So, do you want us to do the flip-turn thing or not?"

"You should always use whatever advice a coach tells you," Thor told them solemnly. "Are you ready?"

"Yes!"

"Off you go." Thor casually looked over his shoulder and up at the sunglasses-wearing figure sitting above him. Loki was staring straight ahead.

* * *

When Loki got off his shift, he tried to slip away without Thor noticing. He failed. "How can I ever repay you?" Thor asked, stopping in front of him. For a moment, Loki looked surprised. Then his mouth curled into a smile.

"Tell your team to stop being so lazy," Loki said dryly. "Did you know that one of them stopped in the middle of a set to  _watch a plane fly by?_ I nearly–"

Without warning, Thor pulled Loki into a hug. "Thank you," he said.

Loki tensed up. Thor smelled like sunscreen and sweat. "It was . . . no trouble. I just switched shifts with the person before me."

Thor released him and smiled. "I will never forget it."

* * *

Thor called Loki the next afternoon. "Can you meet me at the pool at six-thirty tomorrow morning?"

Thor could nearly hear Loki's frown. "The pool won't be open. It doesn't open until eight on Sundays."

"Trust me," said Thor, and he hung up.

* * *

When Thor drove into the parking lot, there were only two other cars there. Loki was already leaning against one of them. Thor got out of the car and waved at him. "You got your stuff?" he called.

"Yes," Loki called back, and he pulled a bag out of the passenger seat of his car. He slung it over his shoulder and walked towards Thor. He wasn't wearing his sunglasses for once; the sun was barely peaking over the horizon.

They walked together towards the entrance. Loki kept giving Thor side-long glances, but Thor just smiled. There was someone waiting at the entrance. "Hey, Heimdall!" Thor called. The man gave them a nod and opened the gate. As they passed him, Loki's steps slowed. His eyes darted between Heimdall and Thor. "Thanks, man," Thor said to Heimdall as they passed him, and with a last curious glance, Loki followed him into the complex.

"How did you get him to let us in?" Loki asked as they walked towards the pool.

"Oh, he's an old friend," Thor assured him. "It wasn't a big deal. He has to be here at about this time anyway. He works at the office."

"Ah," said Loki, and looked around them. The complex was completely empty. It looked desolate in the pale dawn light. A few birds were pecking around in a patch of grass, and a deckchair that had been left out had blown over in the night. Then Loki saw the pool.

The lane lines hadn't been put in yet. The pool was larger than Olympic-sized, and when it was completely empty of people and dividing lines, it showed. "Oh," breathed Loki, and he dropped his bag on the sidewalk. Like Thor, he was wearing his swimsuit under his clothes, and he stripped his clothes off as he walked towards the edge of the water. His shirt came off last, and then he ran for the water and dove in.

Thor chuckled and took his clothes off at a more subdued pace. He went to the edge of the water and watched. Loki was just a streak under the water. When he finally resurfaced, his head was a dot of black amidst the blue. "You're not supposed to run by the pool," Thor called to him, teasing, but he didn't think Loki was listening. A moment later, Loki dove back beneath the water. When he came back up, he took off at a steady crawl for the center of the pool. Thor dove in and followed him.

Loki did two quick laps of the pool from one end to the other. Thor followed at a more leisurely pace to give him space, but Loki didn't seem to mind being close to him. The pool was wide enough that he could easily have avoided Thor, but instead he came so close to Thor when passing him that their arms nearly brushed. Finally, Loki paused in the middle of the pool and treaded water while he waited for Thor to catch up. Thor stopped in front of him and pushed his hair out of his face. Loki's lips were parted and his eyes were bright. He wasn't looking at Thor; he was looking at the water.

"I love it when they put the lanes in the long way," Loki said, "but this is so much better."

Thor grinned. "You like it, then?"

Loki finally looked at him. "Yes," he said, and his smile was so open Thor felt his chest tighten.

Without thinking about, Thor rested his hands on Loki's hips. The combined power of their legs and Loki's arms kept them afloat, but Thor was careful to not hold Loki too tightly. He looked into Loki's eyes with a smile. He moved closer and bumped their noses together. Loki's smile turned just slightly mischievous. Thor ghosted his lips over Loki's in a kiss, and then Loki surged up and into him.

Loki's lips were cool from the water, but his mouth was hot and his touch was like fire on Thor's skin. His tongue slid across Thor's lips and then his teeth. Thor groaned at his touch, and then he wrapped his arms all the way around Loki's waist and crushed them together. Loki buried his hands in Thor's hair, and they started to sink.

Thor pulled away with a snort of laughter and hastily removed one of his arms from Loki's waist so that he could keep them from drowning. "Not so good at multitasking, are we?" Loki said with a smirk. He lowered his hands to Thor's shoulders, but he did little else to help the situation.

"That was your fault," Thor informed him amusedly. One arm on Loki's waist and one in the water was enough to keep them both steady, however, so Thor caught Loki's lower lip in another kiss before Loki could respond. Loki's eyes slid close, and Thor was very aware that he was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

They swam for an hour until people came out at seven-thirty to put the lane lines in. When they got out of the water, Thor took Loki's hand, but it was Loki who nearly dragged him off to the showers. They kissed under the stream of hot water and Loki ran his hands over Thor's shoulder. "A tree, maybe," Loki murmured agains his lips.

Thor pulled back from him and laughed in surprise. "What?"

Loki linked his hands behind Thor's neck and smiled at him. "Your tattoo. You're more like a tree."

Thor gave him a look that was half incredulity and half amusement. "Is there an innuendo somewhere in there?"

Loki snorted. "No." He pressed a gentle kiss to Thor's lips. "It was supposed to be a compliment, though."

"So I'm . . . what? Reliable?"

Loki patted one of Thor's biceps. "More like oversized." Thor laughed and caught Loki's hand in his own. He kissed it, and Loki smiled.

* * *

A few weeks later, Thor swung by Loki's house. "Hey," he said when Loki opened the door. He shifted his weight back and forth and smiled at Loki. "Do you want to meet my parents?"

* * *

The hospital room was neat and simple. A monitor hummed comfortably in the background. The monitor was hooked up to Thor's father, who was lying as though asleep on the bed. Thor's mother was sitting by her husband's bedside when they walked in. She saw them and her expression turned warm.

"I've heard so much about you," she said before Loki could open his mouth. He made to shake her hand, but she took his hand and pressed it between her own. She smiled and her eyes crinkled at the corners. "Call me Frigga. Don't let Thor scare you off; I've always wanted a second son."

Loki raised his eyebrows at Thor and Thor just chuckled. "Don't  _you_ scare him off," he told his mother, and he kissed her on the cheek and pulled up two more chairs. Frigga finally released Loki's hand and helped Thor pull over the little side table. "I brought a pack of cards," Thor explained, and it was as though Loki was already part of the family.

After three rounds of Go Fish, Loki realized why it didn't feel strange to be there. Every now and then, Frigga would glance at her husband with a slight smile on her lips as though he was there in more than body, as though this was how things always were. Her expression could only be described as love.

Loki ignored Thor's gaze on him and adjusted his grip on his hand. He cleared his throat. "Go Fish."

* * *

The next summer, Thor was still the swim coach. "Listen up!" Thor called out to his team. "Four laps of backstroke, and I want you to focus on form this time, not speed."

Loki settled comfortably on the diving block beside Thor. "I'll be watching your flip turns," he told them, "so keep them sharp." He winked at the team and everyone paled.

Thor rubbed his hands together with a bright smile, seemingly oblivious to the effect Loki had on the team. "Right! Then off you go." Five lanes of children pushed off into the water one by one.

Thor sighed happily. "Did you see their times from their second meet? They're improving so fast!"

Loki didn't look away from the water, but he smiled. "Yes, I was there."

"I know! They're great kids, aren't they?"

"For a bunch of brats," Loki said fondly.

Thor wrapped his arms around Loki from behind and propped his head up on Loki's shoulder. "They like you." Loki turned his head away from Thor to hide his smile.

"I think you're mistaking fear for fondness."

Thor rubbed his stubbled chin absently against Loki's neck. "I think I know what I'm talking about."

"Hmm," said Loki. "I was thinking of ordering Thai for dinner."

"Yes, please!" Thor exclaimed. "Oh, mom and dad were thinking of visiting tomorrow. Would that be okay? Dad's feeling well enough to make the trip, so I thought we could eat in."

Loki leaned into him comfortably. "Yes. But only if you cook."

Thor laughed and kissed him once on the head before releasing him. "I will. _Oy,"_  he bellowed at the swimmers, "What did Coach Loki tell you about your flip turns?"

* * *

Thor and Loki lay in bed, the sheets tangled around them. Loki was resting his head on Thor's chest, and Thor was tracing circles on his back absently. The light from the lone lamp lit them in a golden glow. Loki closed his eyes and listened to Thor's heartbeat. It was even and steady. Over and over . . . Loki slipped a hand down Thor's side to the jut of his hipbone. Thor's heartbeat sped up in response, and Loki's own heart raced to match it. Even when it beat fast, it was so steady . . .

"What are you doing?" Thor asked.

"Thinking," Loki replied without opening his eyes.

"Mhm." Thor's hand had moved to the space between his shoulder blades. The shape it was tracing was no longer a circle – the fish. "Why a salmon?"

"They're slippery and fast."

"That's it?"

"Do you find it to be a false comparison?"

Thor chuckled, but his hand on Loki's back stilled. He pressed Loki a little closer to him. "I caught you," Thor murmured into his hair.

Loki smiled. "Yes, you did."

There was a small silence. "Does this mean you're going to leave me, some day?"

Loki shifted a little so his ear was once again over Thor's heart. Thor's voice had been calm, but his heart was racing fast. "You don't have to worry about that."

"No?"

"No."

Thor's hand resumed its steady circles on his skin. Loki knew what Thor's heartbeat reminded him of. It wasn't a shark, or a turtle, or a tree; it was the sound of a flowing stream, the beat of waves on a shore, the rush of a waterfall. Loki was a salmon, but Thor was the water, and he had never needed to catch Loki in the first place.


End file.
